Ali Ibn Abi Talib - Volume 2 of 2

58 The Battles of the Camel and Siffeen, and the issue of arbitration
said: "0 Allah, I promise You that I will not smile until I meet
YOU."'^^ They thought that leaving Madinah at that time would lead
to getting embroiled in the turmoil, the bad consequences of which,
they feared,'73 would cancel out what they had achieved in the past
of righteous deeds and jihad with the Messenger of Allah
What is mentioned above does not mean that none of the
Companions joined the caliph's campaign; there were some who
joined him, but they were few. Ash-Sha'bi said: "None of the
Companions of the Messenger of Allah (s) were present at the
Battle of the Camel except for 'Ali, 'Ammi%, Talhah and az-Zubayr;
if they prove that there was a fifth, then I am a liar." 175 According to
another report: "Whoever tells you that more than four of those who
were present at Badr were present at the Battle of the Camel, do not
believe him. 'Ali and 'Ammir were on one side, and Taah and az-
Zubayr were on the other."'76 According to another report: "No one
joined 'Ali when he marched to Basra apart from six of the people of
Badr; there was no ~eventh.""~
This is what is meant by the report mentioned above, which
referred only to those Companions who bad been at Badr. Whatever
the case, those of the An& who took part in the turmoil were few.
lbn Sireen and ash-Sba'bi said: "When the tnrmoil occurred in
Madinah, the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (B) were more
than ten thousand, but those who got involved were no more than
twenty men. The battle between 'Ali and Taah and az-Zubayr and
the battle of Siffeen were called fitnah."178
From the above, it is clear that the number of Companions who
went out with the caliph 'Ali to Basra were very few, and we cannot
be certain that they took part in the Battle of the Camel; even though
this battle was so fierce and so many events took place during it, the
sources do not mention the Companions who took part in it or say
that any of them were martyred or ~0unded.l~~ One of the reports